South Fort Myers woman dies in cluttered house fire

The home that caught fire Tuesday morning and is the center of a death investigation had reignited early Wednesday.

Fire trucks were still on scene off Metro Parkway in south Fort Myers as of Wednesday. They were called in at 11:12 a.m. the day before to the 6200 block of Scott Lane.

South Trail Fire Department said the body of 58-year-old Tamela "Tammy" Sweeley-Bissonnette was found inside the home.

It's not known if she died because of the fire or if there was another cause, which is being determined by the state fire marshal.

The call came in as a shed fire, but there are no sheds on the property. However, flames consumed the home as firefighters arrived. Officials said 80 to 85 percent of the home is destroyed and a portion of the roof collapsed.

South Trail's fire assistant chief told us there were a lot of normal household items inside the home that helped fuel the fire.

Neighbors said the woman who lives in the house is a hoarder and a heavy smoker – although the cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.

Dr. Belinda Bruster with the Lee County task force said hoarding "can severely limit the use of a person's living space or their living area. It can also pose safety issues."

Officials don't know if the home had smoke detectors.

Firefighters were able to put out the fire a little over an hour after they arrived with help from the rain. First responders had to run 2,000 feet of fire hose to reach the nearest hydrant.

"It doesn't surprise me that they had a hard time putting out the fire," Bruster said.